A provisional licence holder has been spared jail after being involved in a high speed chase through residential streets.

Ben Riley, of Moorside Drive, Clayton-le-Moors, was reported by a dog walker after he was seen reversing a Skoda into a parked car.

Burnley Crown Court heard how Riley was later chased by officers at speeds of up to 50mph in 20mph and 30mph areas before ‘losing control’ and fleeing the scene.

The 22-year-old contacted police a few days later because ‘he wanted to admit his actions and what he had done was wrong and wanted to come clean’, the court heard.

Carpet underlay worker Riley pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, failing to stop when asked by police, driving without a license and using a car without insurance.

He was given four-month jail term, suspended for 12-months, disqualified from driving and ordered to take an extended driving test, fined £100 and ordered to pay £150 costs.

Stephen Parker, prosecuting, told the court how Riley was reported to police after the collision in Trawden at around 11.30pm on Sunday, April 19.

He was later spotted in Colne and when the officer activated her lights and tried to stop him Riley ‘drove straight through red lights’ along North Valley Road.

The court heard how an authorised police pursuit driver joined the chase through ‘narrow terraced streets’ where Riley ‘almost collided with a cyclist’.

He eventually lost control of the car when the road surface changed from tarmac to cobbles.

Mr Parker said Riley and two passengers ‘ran away from the scene’ however one of the passengers was caught by police.

Riley attended a voluntary interview with police two days later and said he had been at Towneley Park in Burnley and later at the Baltic Fleet pub.

The court heard how Riley was with ‘two other lads’ and a ‘conversation developed between them about going to Trawden’.

Mr Parker told the court: “He (Riley) wasn’t drinking and other two were. He said he would drive the car even though he only had a provisional licence and didn’t have insurance to drive.

"Due to that he made the decision to go there much late at night because there would likely be less traffic.”

Mr Parker said Riley told officers he ‘panicked’ when he saw the police lights.

"Sometimes these cases have tragic and fatal consequences"

Judge Jonathan Gibson told Ben Riley was responsible for ‘extremely bad driving’.

Sentencing, he said: “These were offences which seems to me to be completely out of character.

“You have some previous convictions although none of them involve driving offences.

“I suppose you might have got away with it in one sense having been able to run away from the scene, although one never knows what police might have upturned otherwise.

“But it’s very much to your credit that you contacted police of your own volition and admitted what you had done.

“What you had done was drive extremely badly. You were involved in a police chase, you went at substantial speeds above the speed limit, ignored red traffic lights, drove on narrow streets and there was a cyclist at one stage that might have been endangered.

"Fortunately given the time of night there was very little other traffic on the road.

“But of course people have been killed in similar circumstances. Not only did you endanger yourself and the police but also the passengers in the car.

"Sometimes these cases have tragic and fatal consequences.”